1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a blister package having a stop, align, and enhanced tamper-resistant feature that stops the sliding movement of a slide card within an outer sleeve, simultaneously aligns the apertures of the slide card with the apertures of the outer sleeve so that articles retained by the blister pockets can be removed from the package, and enhances the tamper-resistant nature of the package.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common practice to use blister packages to package small solid articles or products which may be dispensed from the package by applying pressure to the blister to force the article or product from an individual blister or capsule through a rupturable membrane. Since this type of packaging is typically used for marketing medicines, the invention will be referred to herein with respect to a package particularly suitable for such use, but it should be understood that the package may be used for other products as well. Recently, a substantial effort has been directed toward providing packaging that contains sufficient impediments to prevent children from easily opening the package and gaining access to the package articles or products while still providing adults with easy access to the articles or products contained therein.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,829 to Johnstone et al. (hereinafter “Johnstone”) discloses a unit dose package having an outer sleeve blank 2 and inner slide card blank 100. As shown in FIGS. 1–3 of the Johnstone patent, the outer sleeve blank 2 has extension panels 4 and 8. Extension panel 4 is folded over and adhesively attached to extension panel 8. Extension panel 8 is then folded over side panel 10. As shown in FIGS. 6–9 of the Johnstone patent, the inner slide card blank 100 has an extension panel 106 that is folded over side panel 102.
Once fully assembled, a user can pull the inner slide card 100 within the outer sleeve 50 formed by the outer sleeve blank 2 until the extension 106 of the inner slide card 100 is caught and retained by the folded extension panels 4 and 8 of the outer sleeve 50. Folded extension panels 4 and 8 of the outer sleeve 50 and extension panel 106 of the inner slide card 100, which form the locking means of the Johnstone unit dose package, prevent the inner slide card from being completely removed from the outer sleeve 50.
However, the locking means 4, 8, and 106 of the Johnstone unit dose package does not align the holes within the slide card 100 with the blisters of the blister package while simultaneously retaining the sliding card from being removed from the package. Put simply, the Johnstone unit dose package does not provide a stop feature that retains the inner slide card 100 within the outer sleeve 50 while simultaneously aligning the holes within the slide card 100 with the blisters of the blister package.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,793 to Tannenbaum discloses a device for inhibiting the removal of an article from a blister type container 14 positioned within a housing 32 in manner such that the container 14 may slide in a left-to-right direction when viewing FIG. 2a of the Tannenbaum patent. The container 14 slides between a dispensing position, as shown in FIG. 2b, in which articles 12 may be removed from the container 14, and a non-dispensing position as shown in FIG. 2a, which prevents removal of the articles 12 from the container 14.
The Tannenbaum container includes a base 34 of the housing 32 that has openings 36 which are in registry with the blisters 22 of the container 14. The housing 32 includes a biasing means and a first enclosure 38 having an abutment 42 that contacts a portion 44 of the outer surface 23 of the blister. As shown in FIG. 3 of Tannenbaum, the biasing means has a first end 48 and folds 54 that form a spring member 52.
The biasing means is positioned within the first enclosure 38 of the housing 32. See FIGS. 2a and 2b of Tannenbaum. When the container 14 is slid within the housing 32 in a left-to-right direction as shown in FIG. 2a, the folds 54 of the biasing means are compressed as shown in FIG. 2b, and the blisters 22 are aligned with the openings 36 in the base 34 of the housing 32 to facilitate removal of the articles. The sliding motion of the container 14 within the housing 32 is stopped when the abutment 42 of the first enclosure 38 engages the outer surface 23 of the blister 22. However, the Tannenbaum package does not disclose a slide card positioned between the container 14 and the openings 36 in the base 34 and having a stop feature that engages a stop feature on an inside surface of the housing 32 that aligns the holes in the container 14 with the openings 36 while simultaneously stopping the container 14 from sliding any further within the housing 32.
In the Applicants' co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/226,312, a pharmaceutical slide package is provided with a feature that aligns holes of a slide card within the package with blisters contained in blister packaging attached to the package while simultaneously preventing the slide card from further movement. The package includes a first component that is a sliding card contained within a second component or outer sleeve. A sealed blister package is attached to an interior of the outer sleeve. The slide card is then inserted in the outer sleeve, which is then folded and sealed, thereby securing the slide card therein.
A stop feature, integrally formed within the outer sleeve and slide card, limits the sliding range of the slide card within the outer sleeve. An aspect of the stop feature is that the holes within the slide card are aligned with the pill blisters in the blister package at the point where the stop feature stops the slide card from further movement within the outer sleeve. The stop feature includes the raised edge of the folded panel on the slide card which engages a corresponding edge on the inside of the outer sleeve. When the holes on the slide card are aligned with the blisters of the blister packaging, a user can push an article contained in the blister packaging through a hole in the foil backing on the back side surface of the blister packaging, through a hole in the slide card, and out a corresponding hole in the back of the outer sleeve of the package. When the slide card is returned to a start or free position, the holes in the back side surface of the blister packaging are blocked, and the articles contained in the blister packaging cannot be removed.
A stop feature that limits the movement of the slide card within the package provides the child-resistant feature. The sliding movement of the slide card within the package stops when a raised edge of a folded panel on the slide card engages an edge on the inside of the outer sleeve. At the same time or simultaneous with the sliding movement of the slide card within the package being stopped by the stop feature, the holes on the slide card are aligned with corresponding blisters in the blister packaging so that a user can push the article contained within the blister packaging out of the back of the package. When the slide card is returned to the start or free position, the exit holes in the package are blocked, thereby offering resistance to children accessing the pills. The holes on the back of the package are formed by non-continuous cut lines such that the package remains intact and the portions delimited by the cut lines are removed or punctured when the article exits the package. This feature also makes it difficult for a child to pick at the package and remove the articles therefrom. As the slide card is secured in the package on all four sides, the ability of the child to pick and tear the package is substantially reduced.
Applicants, upon testing of the package, have determined there is a need for the tamper-resistant nature of the package to be further enhanced to deter and prevent children from accessing the contents of the package.